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Acaricidal effect and chemical composition of essential oils extracted from Cuminum cyminum, Pimenta dioica and Ocimum basilicum against the cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae)

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Abstract

Acaricidal activity of essential oils extracted from cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum), allspice berries (Pimenta dioica) and basil leaves (Ocimum basilicum) were tested on 10-day-old Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus tick larvae using the LPT. Two-fold dilutions of the three essential oils were tested from a starting dilution of 20% down to 1.25%. Results showed a high toxicological effect for cumin, producing 100% mortality in all tested concentrations on R. microplus larvae. Similarly, allspice essential oil produced 100% mortality at all concentrations with the exception of a dramatic decrease at 1.25% concentration. Conversely, basil essential oil was not shown to be toxic against R. microplus larvae. The most common compounds detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were as follows: cumin: cuminaldehyde (22.03%), γ-terpinene (15.69%) and 2-caren-10-al (12.89%); allspice: methyl eugenol (62.7%) and eugenol (8.3%); basil: linalool (30.61%) and estragole (20.04%). Results clearly indicate that C. cyminum and P. dioica essential oils can be used as an effective alternative for R. microplus tick control, and there is a high probability they can be used for other ticks affecting cattle in Mexico and throughout the world, thereby reducing the necessity for traditional and unfriendly synthetic acaricides.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Winston Smith and Maritza Estela Piña Zavala for critical reading of this work.

Ethical standards

All experiments comply with the current laws of Mexico.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco, AC, Av. Normalistas 800, Col. Colinas de la Normal, 44270, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

    Moises Martinez-Velazquez, Gustavo Adolfo Castillo-Herrera, Jose Miguel Flores-Fernandez, Julisa Lopez-Ramirez, Rodolfo Hernandez-Gutierrez & Eugenia del Carmen Lugo-Cervantes

  2. Centro Nacional de Investigaciones en Parasitología Veterinaria-INIFAP, No. 8534, Carretera Federal Cuernavaca Cuautla, Colonia Progreso, 62550, Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico

    Rodrigo Rosario-Cruz

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  1. Moises Martinez-Velazquez
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  2. Gustavo Adolfo Castillo-Herrera
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  3. Rodrigo Rosario-Cruz
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  4. Jose Miguel Flores-Fernandez
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  5. Julisa Lopez-Ramirez
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  6. Rodolfo Hernandez-Gutierrez
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  7. Eugenia del Carmen Lugo-Cervantes
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Correspondence to Moises Martinez-Velazquez.

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Martinez-Velazquez, M., Castillo-Herrera, G.A., Rosario-Cruz, R. et al. Acaricidal effect and chemical composition of essential oils extracted from Cuminum cyminum, Pimenta dioica and Ocimum basilicum against the cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae). Parasitol Res 108, 481–487 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2069-6

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